by AA Lee
“I have decided to bring you to the club later. You will be with me the entire time. If you see anyone else that you know, I also want to know. I will have a couple dozen of my men there tonight. Nobody is going to touch you again.”
“Do you know what they want from my father yet?” she asked.
“No, Rafa is supposed to bring me something later.” By the sound of his voice, Ella was not sure how much he would tell her when he did know more. “I’m getting in the shower. Take my gun. If anyone comes through that door and points a gun at you, don’t wait, just shoot. Got it? Keep in mind there is no safety on this gun.”
Ella nodded and watched him. Angelo left the door to the restroom wide open as he turned on the water. He stood directly in front of a full-length mirror and started to peel off his clothes. Ella tried to look away but her eyes glued to his body. She could not help but admire him. The scars on his chest betrayed many old encounters like today. No wonder he was a serious man.
Angelo stepped through the clear shower door and closed his eyes. She appreciated the way his arm muscles tightened as he lathered his biceps and then his neck. The way the water slid down his toned abs awakened sensations that she had not experienced. Just watching the beads falling off the tips of his hair caused her face to flush. Sudden warmth spread throughout her body. Ella felt hot as she stared. Then she inhaled. Ella had not seen the dark brown eyes gazing back at her.
The water shut off and Ella rolled away from the restroom fast. She needed to fall asleep before he walked out, but her heart would not slow down. The closer his footsteps came, the more her body shook. She heard something fall to the floor, making a thud when it hit; then she felt an airy draft as Angelo pulled the covers down.
“I know you are not asleep,” he said and slid his body next to hers. The dip in the bed did nothing to help her nerves. Her trembling increased as his arm slid underneath her side and pulled her flush with his body. “If you wanted to see me naked, you should have said so instead of stealing looks at me. You wear my ring for a reason. You are entitled.” Angelo spoke directly against her ear, making it hard for her to breathe in normal breaths.
“I didn’t –” Ella did not finish her words of defense. Her thoughts focused on Angelo’s fingers that brushed above her knee and to the inside of her thigh. She gasped. His lips met her neck and the cool kisses he left in their place caused chills to shoot across her skin. Then he stopped. Angelo leaned up on his elbow and turned her to face him. Her face felt hot as he placed his finger over her lips.
“You wear my ring now. That means I am also entitled to the same.”
Ella’s mouth opened. Angelo looked down on her from above and the only thing he wore was a pair of boxers. Her breathing stopped. Every part of her body reacted to him when he took advantage of her gaping mouth. His lips gently pressed against hers and then he paused. It was as if he watched how she would react. She did not want him to stop and closed her eyes, wanting more. His lips aggressively indulged in the kiss, and his fingers tightened around her neck. The weight from his body started to grow heavier against her breasts when Angelo gently pulled away and stopped.
“Too bad you are in no condition to ravish or I would take you for myself right now,” he said. Angelo did not move right away. He just stared, making the pink in her cheeks grow crimson. Her reaction seemed to amuse him. Angelo almost smiled back.
“We have a few hours until anyone should bother us, so try to rest. We will have a hectic night ahead of us.”
Ella stayed silent and stared at him, not believing that he held her in his arms. This had to be a dream. The entire situation with him seemed unreal. Yet his scent was real. The way he tangled his fingers through her hair made her limbs react to him all over again. He cradled her entire body to his.
Ella watched him fall to sleep. His name was appropriate. He looked like an angel. Seeing his peaceful face like this, she would never guess he was in the mafia; but she thought of it no further. Angelo’s steady breaths now easily put her to sleep.
CHAPTER 23
Angelo groaned at the pounding of the door. Only Rafa would beat on his bedroom door like that without caring about Angelo shooting him. He also knew better than to come inside even though he owned a key.
“Just a few more minutes,” came Ella’s sleepy voice. The meds must have worn off. She struggled to move and shrieked out in pain.
“I’ll get you some water,” Angelo said and scooted out of bed. He watched her as he pulled a belt through the loops of his pants. Angelo shook his head as her body rolled into a ball and she held her knees. It was hard to see her hurt like that. He wanted her well and he wanted her smile to return.
Interrupting his concerns, a steady rhythm of bangs came at the door again. Angelo grabbed his gun and slid it in his back pocket. He thought it was Rafa, but he did not know for sure. He would answer the door as he got Ella some water.
“How is she?” Rafa asked and came in with an armful of clothes.
“Not well.” Angelo walked to the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of water. “I’m going to give her some more meds. She won’t make it through the night without them.” Angelo walked back through the house with Rafa following behind. Then he took the clothes out of Rafa’s hands and set them on the bed. Ella had not moved an inch.
“Ella, sit up.” He wiggled her foot. “You need to take these.” Ella uncovered her face and looked at him and then at Rafa in the doorway; then her eyes started to shut again. “Sit up,” he repeated.
“What are you giving me?” she asked and pushed her body sideways. “They won’t make me drowsier than I am, will they?” she whined.
“Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “You have to take something, or I can’t bring you with me tonight.” Ella swallowed the pills without any more questions; then her head fell back to the bed. “When you start to feel better, I want you to take a shower. The hot water will help you even more.”
Angelo left Ella to rest and walked back to the kitchen. With that out of the way, he wanted to know what was in the envelope that Rafa held underneath his arm. He scooted out a chair and Rafa did the same, except Rafa did not hand him the information right away.
“Rafa quit fucking with me and tell me what you found.”
Rafa opened the envelope and took out a photo. “This is Robert Collins,” he said. Angelo looked at the picture. The sandy-colored hair and grayish eyes did not belong to anyone he knew. This man could not have worked for Bonadio. Angelo knew the faces of every one of Bonadio’s top men.
“Donnie has not pulled up any recent information on Robert Collins yet, but Collins has definitely sold property to Bonadio.”
“Okay,” Angelo nodded. “We were right about that then.”
“Yes.” Rafa paused and opened the envelope again. “Guess whose property he sold to Bonadio.”
Angelo did not like the sound of Rafa’s voice. The look in his eyes alarmed him. He had not even thought about the clients that Ella’s father had. “Whose?” He sat back and folded his arms.
“Martino Gregorio,” answered Rafa as he set two sheets of paper on the table.
“What!” Angelo grabbed the sheets and started to scan for names. There it was in bold black ink—the name of Martino Gregorio, the man whose daughter Angelo’s father wanted him to marry. “You mean Gregorio is using Ella’s father too?” He held out his hand and threw down the sheets. “Ella is in the middle of a fucking nightmare, and her father let her leave without telling her anything.” Angelo shook his head. “We still need to know what Bonadio wants from Collins. We will carry out tonight as planned.”
Angelo could hear that the shower turned on in the quiet house. “Hold that thought.” He held up a finger to Rafa and walked back to his room. With the restroom door shut, Angelo tapped it lightly and then went straight in. Angelo felt no shame in seeing her naked body.
“The towels are in this cabinet.” He opened a door by the sink and turned around. The swelling in her cheeks h
ad gone down. The marks were not too noticeable; however, by the way she moved, he knew she was in pain.
“As I’m sure you saw, Rafa brought over some of your clothes. I will have something to eat for you when you come out, all right?”
“Okay,” she said.
He nodded and went back out of the restroom door. As much as he would have liked to admire her body more, now was not the time. He would make up for that another day.
***
Ella fidgeted with the slit of the ebony dress she wore. She tolerated the single strap around her shoulder but the slit nearly reached her thigh. Did Rafa have to grab this dress from her house? There was a reason it was in the back of her closet.
Angelo guided her to a private elevator in the back of the club and took her up to the third story. He wanted to check the cameras and make sure they were all in working order before he escorted her through the casino. Ella watched him push several buttons. The sound for one monitor came on and went off. He duplicated the same action for the rest.
“Okay, now that I am finished with that,” he said and slid out a drawer on the desk. “You will wear a gun tonight.” He walked over to her with a strap and the blue gun she had admired the day before. “You have amazing marksman skills. I’ve never seen a woman who could shoot like you.” He lifted her dress and wrapped the leather strap and holster around her thigh. “I’m letting you know right now, though; if you pull this thing out, be ready to kill. It is not a game. If you don’t, they will. Understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered as Angelo took her hand. Ella wondered if the gun made her nervous or if it was Angelo’s strong hands. He did not have any issues with touching her skin.
“I wonder if the concealer will stay on.” Ella touched the side of her face as the elevator to the back of the casino opened.
“No one can see your cheeks with the way you fixed your hair to the front and the dim lighting. I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said.
“You wouldn’t worry about it, because you are not me. I am worried.”
“Hush, you are stunning. Nobody will notice anything is wrong with you. How do you feel?” he asked and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“I’m okay, I guess.”
“Just stay close to me. You will be fine.”
Angelo entered through the back of the casino and walked with her in tow. The guests stared, and some of their mouths opened wide. Ella guessed that Angelo had never walked in with a woman on his arm. Some of them had returned from the previous night. She remembered their faces. Even though Ferron flaunted her around the casino like a trophy, it still surprised them to see Angelo holding her hand. She felt he made a huge statement to the room.
He led her to the bar where Thomas helped another customer on the far end. All Angelo did was point at him. Thomas halted his conversation and the drink he prepared and walked directly over to Angelo.
“Good evening, Mr. Tomassi,” he greeted. “What will you have?”
“The regular,” Angelo replied and glanced at Ella. “Make her a margarita but go easy on the liquor.” Thomas left and Ella gave Angelo a look. “Listen, you’re medicated, and those pills do not mix well with alcohol. I don’t need to carry you out of here.”
“Fine,” Ella complied.
“These people are like fucking vultures waiting for the kill,” Angelo muttered under his breath.
“What?” Ella was confused but his sudden admittance. “Then why did you want to run a club with a casino?” she asked.
“Actually, this is not the only casino I own. Why?” Angelo closed an eye and met her gaze. “I like to invest and make profit. The man with the most money is in charge. This place is also a good exchange spot for quality items.”
“You mean like that room I found?” she asked.
“That’s right. Nobody comes around here and asks questions. If they did, we have several routes out of the city. We also have our sources at the police department who give us a heads-up.”
“The police department,” Ella repeated with shock.
“Don’t be so surprised,” Angelo smirked. “There’s a lot that happens that nobody knows about. That’s how the world works.”
“Here you are, Mr. Tomassi,” said Thomas.
Angelo nodded and whispered in Ella’s ear. “Don’t ever call me by that name again. If you do, I will beat you until you forget the name altogether.”
Ella’s jaw dropped. “You would beat me?”
“You remember who I am, right?” For a second, Ella could not tell if he was joking or otherwise. “My last name is for people who don’t care about me past what I can do for them…or for those who are scared. The people who are closest to me call me Angelo.”
Ella smiled at him. Using his first name was one thing, but having him consider her close to him was another. It pleased her a lot, but she could not help but provoke him again. “It does kind of make you sound distinguished. I like the sound of your last name.”
“Oh?” Angelo said and pulled her head closer to him, brushing his lips against hers. “Go ahead and call me whatever you want, but I won’t guarantee that you’ll be safe if you do.” Something in his gaze lured her to tease him again, but she also did not want to test him to see the consequences.
“Thomas,” Angelo said to the bartender. “Keep an eye on her for a minute.” Ella gave him a look. Was he really going to leave her there? She started to stand in protest when Angelo snapped his fingers at her. “Don’t make me wipe that pout off your face,” he whispered in her ear.
“What?” she mumbled.
“You know exactly what I mean.” He leaned his weight against her spine and let his finger drift down the skin of her neck. His touched caused her to shiver. Then he left her alone.
Ella turned sideways and watched him walk away. She liked the way he held up his head. Angelo turned eyes by simply walking through the room, and Ella disliked every woman who stared.
She sighed and put her envy out of her mind. Ella came for a reason and it was not to keep an eye on Angelo. She started to scan the crowd, but no face stood out. Maybe they had not arrived yet. Ella continued to look.
“You!” a woman said from the other side. Ella turned around fast to see who it was. “What did you do with Halsey?”
Not her, Ella thought. Ella had no time for disgruntled girlfriends with a possible threat on the loose. She knew the woman would not leave without an exchange of words. Who knew? Ella may have acted the same if some woman took Angelo away.
“Since you came here the other night, I haven’t seen Halsey at all. You did something and now he won’t return my calls.”
Ella could understand her frustration. She had gone mad when Angelo would not talk to her. Angelo was different from Halsey, though. Halsey had no good in him.
“Look, I didn’t even know you came with him. He did that all on his own.”
“Liar.” The woman grabbed Ella’s arm. “You came in here and seduced him.”
Ella closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them back up, but the woman did not leave. “Are you serious? You and I both know that Halsey was a pig who used you to get what he wanted. You should forget about him and find someone who appreciates you.”
The woman did not like her words and punched Ella square in the cheek. Ella moaned and blamed herself. She should have seen that coming and stood to her feet.
“I have had a really bad day, and my face already hurts. I don’t have time for this. I’m here with Mr. Tomassi anyway.” Then Ella reared back her fist and decked the woman in the eye. The impact knocked the woman to the floor.
“Ms. Collins?” The woman looked up disbelieving. “Oh my god, you are the one they attacked earlier. Please don’t tell Mr. Tomassi what I did.”
Angelo probably had more important issues than bothering with this woman. Ella did not intend to make a scene over nothing but still. Something bothered her. “Who said I was attacked?” she asked.
The woman shook her head. “
I,” she hesitated. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Who?” Ella asked again.
“There’s a private room in the back. Some suits were talking about it.”
“Do you know their names?”
“No, it’s too dangerous to ask for names. I just sit down and look good if anyone brings me in there.”
If there was a private room in the back, why did Angelo not bring her there first? That was where the action was. “It’s probably best that you don’t know their names,” Ella said. “What is yours?”
“Angie,” the woman replied.
“I’m Ella. Tell me, who brought you in here tonight.”
As the words left Ella’s mouth, Angelo walked fast from the other end of the room. From the look on his face, he did not want her to talk to Angie.
CHAPTER 24
Angie started to say something else when Angelo walked straight up to the bar and snapped at her. “Angie, I already warned you about talking to people. Go find whatever VIP brought you in here tonight and leave.” Angie quickly grabbed her drink and disappeared in the crowd. “And you. I leave you alone for two seconds…” Angelo retained his sharp tone. Ella did not like the way he spoke and turned her gaze to the bar. “Look at me,” he ordered. “The only person you are allowed to talk to in this place when I leave you alone is Thomas, and that is because he is part of my group.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because no one else can be trusted! That woman,” He pointed where Angie had left. “Heard a little too much from her careless date, Halsey. She ran her mouth when she shouldn’t and has already been warned. She’s lucky I gave her a chance.”
“And what would have happened if you didn’t give her a chance?”
“You can figure it out,” Angelo answered.
“You mean she would have become a dancer, because the men here need their amusement. Is that right?” Ella asked. Then she wished she had kept her mouth shut. She meant to keep her thoughts to herself.